Marines want small, vertical lift UAS

Naval Air Systems Command issued a request for information today for a vertical takeoff and landing small unmanned aircraft system (VTOL sUAS).

According to the notice, Program Executive Office, Unmanned Aviation and Strike Weapons wants industry input to identify a VTOL sUAS to be used as an intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance platform for the Marine Corps. Such a system must be capable of performing in all environmental conditions in day and night and provide real-time, full-motion video via electro-optical and/or infrared sensors. Additionally, an aircraft under this program must be capable of autonomous or safe, manual vertical launch with minimum support equipment from a small or confined area, according to the notice.

The notice provided a specific list of desired characteristics:

• Vertical takeoff and landing
• Battery powered
• Lightweight, man-portable, total system weight (including air vehicle and ground control station (GCS)) of 20 pounds or less
• Minimum range of 1 kilometer
• Minimum endurance of 30 minutes
• Adequate maturity to be fielded immediately

The notice also lists a number of questions for which contractors must provide details. Among them, the notice asks:

• What safety features (i.e., lost link, lost GPS) are built into the system?
• How and where is the data (video, pictures and flight logs) stored?
• What mapping software does the system use (Google Maps, FalconView, open source, etc.), and does it have Digital Terrain Elevation Data?
• Does the system use standard Department of Defense mapping and imagery?
• How does the GCS communicate with the air vehicle? Describe the data link used, including waveform, operational frequency band, analog or digital, and encryption capabilities.
• Does the system use Selective Availability Anti-Spoofing Module (SAASM) GPS?
• Is the system capable of navigation without GPS?
• Is the system capable of non-GPS operation indoors and/or heavily forested areas?
• What payloads are currently available, in development and planned?

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